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Wal·loon

(wŏ-ln)

1. One of a people of Celtic ancestry inhabiting southern and southeast Belgium and adjacent regions of France.

2. The Romance language traditionally spoken by the Walloons, descended from the Langue d'oïl and closely related to French. The use of Walloon has declined in modern times, and many Walloons now speak French in daily life.

[French Wallon, from Old French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German walah, speaker of a Romance language and Old English wealh, foreigner, Celt.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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